Drain your sinuses at home with this easy technique

If you experience sinus congestion or sinusitis, you’ll want to read on to understand why it occurs and some easy things you can do at home to help manage it naturally…
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Sinusitis most frequently occurs as a reaction to a viral infection, irritant or allergy that causes inflammation in the mucosal tissue of the sinus cavity.  Clinical symptoms to look out for include nasal congestion and obstruction, purulent nasal discharge, maxillary tooth pain, facial pain or pressure, fever, fatigue, cough, loss of smell, ear pressure or fullness, headache and bad breath.[1]  
Sinusitis is generally triggered by a viral upper respiratory tract infection, with only 2% of cases being complicated by bacterial sinusitis.[2] About 90% of patients in the United States are estimated to receive an antibiotic from their general practitioner, yet in most cases the condition resolves without antibiotics, even if it is bacterial in origin.3

Less frequently sinusitis occurs because of fungi, mechanical obstruction (e.g. deviated septum) or an abnormality of mucociliary movement (e.g immotile cilia syndrome).[3] Sinusitis is caused by the release of inflammatory mediators and excessive mucus secretion that impairs the transport system of mucus in the sinus.  This trapped inflammation can damage the mucus membranes and affect the ciliary action which is crucial in the drainage of your sinus.[4]

A range of different massage techniques can be utilised to help support the natural drainage of the sinus cavities when episodes of sinusitis do occur. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, jump onto our Facebook live video (also on our website) this week for our sinus drainage tips that you can do at home!

[1] Harris, A. M., Hicks, L. A., & Qaseem, A. (2016). Appropriate antibiotic use for acute respiratory tract infection in adults: advice for high-value care from the American College of Physicians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Annals of internal medicine, 164(6), 425-434.

[2] Ah-See, K. W., & Evans, A. S. (2007). Sinusitis and its management. Bmj, 334(7589), 358-361.
 
[3] Mackay, I. S. (1988). Rhinitis and sinusitis. British journal of diseases of the chest, 82, 1-8.
 
[4] Yonkers, A. J. (1992). Sinusitis—inspecting the causes and treatment. Ear, nose & throat journal, 71(6), 258-262.